Monthly Archives: June 2017

It’s all about DC today, folks. Before I get into my thoughts on the latest entry into the DCMU, I’d like to talk about Batman. Specifically, about Adam West.

I really hate writing tributes like this one. It means that another icon from my childhood, another source of my early inspiration, is gone. The one I wrote for Carrie Fisher was sheer pain. Every. Word.

This one is no different. My lifelong love of Batman came originally from two sources: the Super Friends cartoon (in all its various incarnations) and Adam West’s portrayal of the Caped Crusader.

Sure, the ‘60s version was campy and silly as all get out, but there’s more there. Strip away the shark repellent, the Batusi, and the moments of utter cheese, and you still have a character worthy of consideration.

Batman is a hero, not an anti-hero. He works within the law, almost to a fault, and cooperates with the police at every level. He is noble, optimistic, kind, and prefers to handle things without violence, if possible. He’s someone kids can look up to, to aspire to be. That’s the Batman I know and love.

And I can think of no actor who could have played that role better than Mr. Adam West. For the rest of his life, he was good to the fans. And from what I hear, he had a great sense of humor, about his work, and about himself. I regret that in all my convention-going over the years, our paths never crossed.

As a kid in the country, just struggling to find his place in the world, West’s Batman taught me to always do what is right, no matter the situation, and that even personal tragedy can be overcome and channeled into something positive. Say what you will about the bright costumes and the ZAP! and POW! fight scenes, but West’s Batman didn’t live his life under a shadow.

And you know, there’s just something about that show, something that gets you right here. (That’s my heart, BTW.) It’s like watching the original Star Trek. They got it so right, even if it may seem dated to a more modern audience. Give the original Batman theme a listen, and tell me it doesn’t bring a gleam to your eye or a smile to your lips.

For giving us all of that, I say a heartfelt goodbye to Mr. Adam West. Goodnight, old chum. Tell Yvonne Craig we all miss her.

Thank you.

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And now, Won-der Womaaan! I considered writing my thoughts up in my “Fanboy Review” format, but abandoned that immediately. I want to go more in-depth into what I think of this movie, and the impact it has already had/has now/will continue to have. Some spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned.

Stop a bullet cold…

First thing right away: I liked this movie. Really liked it.

I’ll admit that I had reservations since this was part of DCMU. I have not been a fan of DC’s offering thus far on the big screen. I strongly disliked Man of Steel and Suicide Squad, and absolutely hated…the other one, you know which one I’m talking about. I don’t even want to say its name. Hint: MARTHAAAAA!

However, the best part of that one, was Gal Gadot’s inclusion as Wonder Woman. It felt like Diana’s role was pretty tacked on in that story, but at least we got one hero in a movie that was supposed to have three.

This movie, Diana’s origin story, shines were the others in the series fall flat. It’s not caught-up in the ‘cult of the badass’ syndrome that seems to plague the other movies. Diana is certainly powerful, and it’s a treat to see her punch through a tank or take the entire top floor of a building out. But this power is tempered by her humanity and compassion, the very things Ares seeks to take away from her in the end.

…make the Axis fold…

She’s been sheltered on Themyscira her entire life. That leads to much naïveté, but I loved even that. Throughout the movie, Diana can’t just sit idly by when something is obviously wrong. She says something about it. She acts when most others would let it go. She hasn’t been conditioned that ‘that’s just the way it is’ or lets anyone define her role for her. Oftentimes she is reacting to injustices that society is content to just sweep under the table. And that makes the World War I setting so perfect for this story.

Beyond that, I like this movie for what it isn’t. Gal Gadot is a beautiful human being. There are some shots of her in this movie that are stunning, and yet none of them are exploitative. They simply let the character be, often innocently unaware of just how friggin’ gorgeous she is. Take the scene where Chris Pine falls asleep next to her on the boat. She doesn’t think someone sleeping next to her is sexual in the least, even when Captain Kirk is super nervous and breathing hard. Priceless.

…change their minds…

Now, can you imagine if a schmuck like Michael Bay had directed this movie? On second thought, don’t imagine that. I think I threw up a little in my mouth. It burns…it burns…

There’s another point here I’d like to touch on, but it requires a short aside. Not long after the magnificent Jessie Graff made her epic run through the American Ninja Warrior course (look it up, it’s incredible), I took my 3-year old to a local playground. There, I noticed a young girl of perhaps eight or nine, who made it her business to climb all the way to the top of the monkey bars, and then make her way up the safety netting, which is not there for climbing.

When she reached the top, she proudly called out: “Look, Mom! It’s like on Ninja Warrior!” I knew immediately what she meant, and who had inspired her to reach for that top height. A whole slew of young girls will take Jessie’s incredible determination and strength to heart and try to find it within themselves. (Jessie is also the lead stunt woman for Supergirl on the CW, BTW. Another DC reference! Zing!)

She dressed as…you guessed it.

The same is true with this movie. Look, I’m under no illusions that as a white guy I have it pretty good when it comes to inspiring superhero archetypes, both now and when I was growing up. I don’t have to look far at all. Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, the list goes on and on.

And I’ll admit I’ve taken it for granted. But seeing this movie, seeing how well it handled the lead character, it makes me realize how lacking that field of super-heroic role models has been for women. Sure, I’ve always known that intellectually, but this movie showed me that on a more visceral level. We need little girls growing up with the belief that they can do anything, that they can change the world, and fight injustice.

Seventeen years, folks. We’ve had had seventeen years of comic movies in this current run. Kids born when the original X-Men premiered in theatres are now driving. And we’re nine years deep into the MCU. In all that time, with dozens of titles, Wonder Woman is the first major blockbuster release to have a female lead. (Yeah, yeah, I know Catwoman and Elektra exist, but both were more than 10 years ago, and both were half-hearted attempts, at best.)

So as much as the DCMU seems like it’s reaaally trying to emulate the MCU, and desperately play catch-up, Wonder Woman is both the DCMU’s first real triumph, as well as the moment that it surpassed its Marvel counterpart.

Hey, remember that time when Marvel had an academy award-winning actress as a super-cool character that had been around since Iron Man 2, and immediately decided to give her own movie franchise, so she could have her own awesome adventures and be the lead in her own story?

Yeah, me neither.

But back to DC, Wonder Woman had a lot of pressure placed on it. It had to succeed so that the studios could see that a female lead could deliver a block buster. It shouldn’t have had to bear that brunt, but it did. AND, the movie was way under-marketed leading up to its release. That strikes me as the studios hedging their bets in case the movie tanked – a cowardly move considering how much press that other one got, and was utter tripe.

But Wonder Woman most certainly didn’t tank. And because it didn’t have a swollen marketing budget to overcome, in addition to its production budget, more of the revenues can go back into the coffers. If there’s one thing that speaks in Hollywood, it’s money. At the time of this writing, I believe a sequel is already in the works with Patty Jenkins once again at the helm. That’s, well…wonderful.

A new Dynamic Duo.

So, despite adversity, Wonder Woman shattered expectations (from studios and audiences alike). If there was ever a doubt that a super heroine couldn’t hold the field with as much spirit and strength as her male counterparts, Wonder Woman smashed it.

Smashed. It.

In this case, life imitates art, because Diana is all about smashing stereotypes in the comics. You underestimate her, and you are likely to find yourself defeated and huffing for breath in her wake.